Reality TV

MTV / ABC / ABCFamily / FOX

The summer TV forecast: severe obstacle courses, patches of culinary flair and a chance of love for dating hopefuls. The season may not officially start until June 20, but many networks have already begun rolling out their summer TV programming. And in recent years, reality shows have become a big component of the summer TV schedule. While viewers can get reacquainted with old favorites -- a "Bachelorette" looking for a mate, contestants performing for the judges of "America's Got Talent"(which now includes the addition of sharp-tongued radio personality Howard Stern) and a flurry of dicing and chopping in "The Next Food Network Star" -- there are plenty of new series to keep people cooped up inside. Here's a look at some of them:

The summer TV forecast: severe obstacle courses, patches of culinary flair and a chance of love for dating hopefuls. The season may not officially start until June 20, but many networks have already begun rolling out their summer TV programming. And in recent years, reality shows have become a big component of the summer TV schedule. While viewers can get reacquainted with old favorites -- a "Bachelorette" looking for a mate, contestants performing for the judges of "America's Got Talent"(which now includes the addition of sharp-tongued radio personality Howard Stern) and a flurry of dicing and chopping in "The Next Food Network Star" -- there are plenty of new series to keep people cooped up inside. Here's a look at some of them: (MTV / ABC / ABCFamily / FOX)

The summer TV forecast: severe obstacle courses, patches of culinary flair and a chance of love for dating hopefuls. The season may not officially start until June 20, but many networks have already begun rolling out their summer TV programming. And in recent years, reality shows have become a big component of the summer TV schedule. While viewers can get reacquainted with old favorites -- a "Bachelorette" looking for a mate, contestants performing for the judges of "America's Got Talent"(which now includes the addition of sharp-tongued radio personality Howard Stern) and a flurry of dicing and chopping in "The Next Food Network Star" -- there are plenty of new series to keep people cooped up inside. Here's a look at some of them: